Indians lucky to have Narendra Modi, says Donald Trump

The US president wrote on Twitter, “Just spoke to Prime Minister @NarendraModi where I congratulated him on his big political victory. He is a great man and leader for the people of India – they are lucky to have him!”.

WT24 Desk

US president Donald Trump said Friday the people of India “are lucky to have” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he went on to describe as a “great man and leader”, The Hindustan Times reports.

Trump wrote on Twitter, “Just spoke to Prime Minister @NarendraModi where I congratulated him on his big political victory. He is a great man and leader for the people of India – they are lucky to have him!”.

Just few minutes before, he told reporters of the phone call. And said, “I just conveyed congratulations on behalf of our country, myself and everybody. He had a great election … when he’s a … (“friend”, pool transcript of the remarks not clear) of mine, we have a good relationship with India.”

On Thursday, the US president had joined other world leaders to congratulate the Indian leader, with a post on Twitter. Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the president’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump followed with their own congratulatory tweets.

The state department issued a statement subsequently. “India’s elections are the largest exercise in democracy in human history and serve as an inspiration to democracies and individuals around the world,” spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said.

She added: “The United States and India enjoy a strong strategic partnership that stands on a foundation of shared values, extensive people-to-people ties, and a commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. We look forward to working with the newly-elected government on a range of important issues, including expanding economic and energy ties, enhancing defense and security cooperation, countering the threat of terrorism, and enhanced collaboration in space.”